RHSQ Vol. 44 No. 1, 2014

RUTLAND HISTORICAL SOCIETY

Quarterly

VOLLTV'IE 44 No. 1

2014

Three Presidential Visits To
Proctor & Rutland 1891-1902

President Teddy Roosevelt, speaking in Rutland in September 1902,
closed an era of presidential visits to Proctor and Rutland from 1891
to 1902. The Redfield Proctor welcome mat for presidents passed with

Proctor’s death in 1908.

RUTT.AND IN RETROSPECT

About the Author

Mary H. Fregosi is a retired educator from Proctor and a member of
the Rutland Historical Society who has wrrittm: “The Vermont Marble
Company Strike of 1935-1936” (VoL 32 No. 3), “A Historv* of the Proctor
Y.M.C.A. and the Sutherland Club” (Vol. 33 No. 1), “men the F.B.L
Came To Town: One of Vermont’s Mysteries” (Vol. 38 No. 2;, “Building
the Proctor Marble Bridge: Conflict and Controversy^ (Vol. 38 No. 3),
“The Vermont Marble Company Stores (Vol. 40 No. 2), “The Vermont
Marble Company Strike of 1966 (Vol. 42 No. 1) and “The Vermont Mar-
ble Company Goes To War” (Vol. 42 No. 2. Mary is a Proctor native who
has also written a history of the Proctor-Pittsford Country Club and a
history of Proctor High School boys’ basketball.

Introduction

From 5 March 1889 to 5 November 1891 Redfield Proctor was Secre-
tary of War in President Harrison’s cabinet. From 1891 to his death in
1908, Proctor was the U.S. Senator from Vermont.

These prestigious roles in Washington D.C. enabled Proctor to bring
three sitting presidents to the Proctor and Rutland area for brief visits.
In Proctor Redfield’s dominant influence in the Vermont Marble Com-
pany guaranteed a gala community event highlighted by a very impres-
sive decoration of the Redfield Proctor home.

As these presidents traveled by train, their exit from Proctor invari-
ably meant a stop in Rutland City where they were met with the usual
crowds and fanfare.

This Quarterly with its vivid descriptions and photos is devoted to the
period from 1891 to 1902 when American presidents could be seen and
heard in person in Proctor and Rutland. Upon Redfield Proctor’s death
on 4 March 1908, this era of presidential contact with Proctor and Rut-
land ended.

The Quarterly is published by the Rutland Historical Society, 96 Center Street,
Rutland VT 05701-4023. Co-editors: Jim Davidson and Jacob Sherman.
Copies are $2 each plus $1 per order. Membership in the Society includes
a subscription to the Quarterly and the Newsletter. Cop\nght © 2014 The
Rutland Historical Society, Inc. ISSN 0748-2493.

2

Three Presidential Visits To
Proctor & Rutland 1891-1902

By Mary Fregosi

Benjamin Harrison, August 1891

The Rutland Daily Herald was
tracking the presidential party as
it made its way through Vermont.
When subscribers read that Ben-
jamin Harrison had left St. Johns-
bury where he had been the guest
of Franklin Fairbanks, readers
knew they would soon be receiving
the fifty-eight year old President.
Finally, the day arrived: August
27, 1891.

It was a cloudy day and the
ground was muddy and wet but
spirits were not deterred as an-
ticipation of Harrison’s arrival ap-
proached. Rutland village presi-
dent H. O. Carpenter, ex-judge James Barrett, Percival W. Clement
and Dr. J. D. Hanrahan went to Bellows Falls to accompany the presi-
dential party to the city. At Rutland, Secretary of War Redfield Proctor,
Howard Cale, Fletcher D. Proctor, Frank C. Partridge, Col. George T.
Childs, and Gen. Gillmore met the train there and traveled on to Proc-
tor with the President.^

Awaiting the President in Proctor were some 1,000 people who, ac-
cording to a Herald reporter, “cheered themselves hoarse”. There fol-
lowed a twenty-one gun salute after which the Proctor band played
“Hail to the Chief’. Then a tired President was escorted to an open
carriage and was driven up a road lined by Chinese lanterns. As the
carriage reached the crest of the hill the party saw a huge illuminated
“Welcome” sign above the covered bridge. Locomotive headlights lit up

Redfield Proctor’s house and grounds. Mrs. Proctor and family received
the President who retired for the evening shortly afterward.^

The events scheduled for Friday, August 28^^ would only contribute to
the fatigue of the President. His day began shortly after breakfast with
a visit to a quarry. Then he and Redfield toured some of the Vermont
Marble Company mills. ^

Meanwhile, Rutlanders were assembling in front of Memorial Hall in
Rutland to view the President and hear his speech. Harrison’s train ar-
rived shortly before noon at the Chaffee crossing where he and his party
were met by a reception committee of prominent citizens: Col. Joel C.
Baker, H. H. Dyer, William G. Veazey, ex-judge Barrett, J. W. Cramton,
Dr. Hanrahan, C. H. Joyce, J. N. Woodfin, E. P. Gilson, P. W. Clement,
George E. Lawrence, Henry F. Field, John N. Baxter, P. M. Meldon, and
John A. Sheldon.^

From there carriages drove the party through State St. to Grove St.,
on to Merchants’ Row and up to Washington St., then over to Main St.
and down Center St. to Merchants’ Row and on to Memorial Hall. A
cornet band, the Kingsley Guard, the Rochester Drum Corps and the
Grand Army post picked up the group at the Bates House and provided
an impressive escort to the Hall.®

Harrison entered the building and after a short rest, appeared be-
fore the crowd of approximately 5,000 people. A canopy of a large fiag
had been placed over the Hall entrance that served as a shelter for the
President. The entire building was decorated in red, white, and blue
and large flags were over each door.®

Col. Baker introduced the President to the crowd. In part he remarked
that a "chief magistrate of a great people can journey from one end of
his domain to the other with no protection except the loyalty and love of
the people over which he rules... We greet you, Mr. President, upon the
occasion as our chief magistrate; we honor you as a brave soldier and
as a man among men, and assure you that our welcome comes from the
heart.

2 Rutland Daily Herald, “Clouded Skies”, 28 August 1891, p.l.

2 Rutland Daily Herald, “The President”, 29 August 1891, p.4.

^ Ibid.

® Ibid.

® Ibid.

Rutland Daily Herald, “The President Welcomed Yesterday-Rutland”,
29 August, 1891, p.4.

4

Harrison began his talk by acknowledging how tired he was. He men-
tioned how pleased he was to be at Memorial Hall, “erected as a place of
deposit for trophies of the great civil war and as a monument of honor
to those soldiers from Vermont who aided so conspicuously in making
that war successful.”®

At the conclusion of the President’s speech the Rev. Dr. Seaver pre-
sented him with an oil painting of Rutland and the mountains to the
east with Killington Peak in the background. The artist was a Mrs.
Belcher of Pittsford. This was a gift for Mrs. Harrison who did not ac-
company her husband on the trip. Due to the President’s tired state
there was no general reception. He went into the Hall where he social-
ized with some invited guests, then entered P. W. Clement’s private
carriage and was taken to Clement’s home for a luncheon. Also present
at this affair were Redfield Proctor, Halford, Cale, Col. Veazey, Charles
Clement, Col. Baker, State treasurer Field, Col. Horton, H. H. Baxter,
H. O. Carpenter, F. D. Proctor, and Ambrose L. Upson. After lunch and
conversation the President left for Proctor’s home where he had an op-
portunity to take a short nap before dinner.®

All of Proctor had been invited to the Friday evening program. Hand-
bills had been circulated throughout the village and town in advance of
Harrison’s arrival. “Everybody invited to welcome President Harrison,
Friday evening, August 28, 1891. The torch-light procession will form
north of Vermont Marble Company’s office at 7:30 o’clock. Reception at
Governor Proctor’s grounds at 8:30. Everyone asked to illuminate their
residences and make the town as attractive as possible. Let us give him
a genuine Vermont welcome.”^®

The residents of Proctor responded. A reporter for the Herald noted
that houses, schools, village buildings and the library were “festooned
with buntings and flags. From Redfield’s house to the road was a
string of colored lanterns and on Fletcher D. Proctor’s house there were
candles and lanterns from the top to the bottom. In addition, there was
a row of lanterns on both sides of his driveway from the street to the
house. E. R. Morse, the treasurer of the Vermont Marble Company,
lived on a prominent hill in the village. His house was similarly deco-

« Ibid.

Uhid. p.3.

David C. Gale, Proctor: The Story of a Marble Town (Brattleboro: The
Vermont Printing Company, 1922, p.234.

Rutland Daily Herald, “Proctor Ablaze”, 29 August, 1891, p.3.

5

rated and Chinese lanterns hung on a wire stretching from his house to
the Union Church. One observer remarked that the Church resembled
a Moorish palace. It was reported that 9,000 lanterns were used in the
decorations.^^

As planned, a procession formed near the Company office with the
Proctor Cornet Band and a float of young ladies dressed in white and
singing patriotic songs. The route took the group through North St. to
High St., on to Pine St. and Church St. to Redfield’s house.

The Redfield Proctor House decorated for the visit of
President Harrison.

Otto T. Johnson, History of Proctor, Vermont (Montpelier: Vermont
Historical Society, 1991), p.417.

Rutland Daily Herald, “The President”, 29 August, 1891, p,3.

PROCTOR FREE LIBRARY

At 8:00 p.m. rafts, loaded with wood and pitch and moored in the Ot-
ter Creek, were set on fire while a huge fire was started on West Moun-
tain. Throughout the town 25 bonfires on twenty-foot standards were
lit. From a large raft to the south of the covered bridge rockets and
fireworks exploded into the night air. A Herald reporter noted that the
display “rivaled in splendor the magnificent scenes seen at St. Albans
and St. Johnsbury.”^^

Redfield introduced the President to the crowd of a thousand. Har-
rison began his remarks by praising his host, noting the respect he had
among other members of his cabinet as well as those of either party and
for his invaluable contributions. He alluded to his Secretary of War’s
impending bid for the vacant U.S. Senate seat and his regret at the
prospect of losing him. Referring to the Town of Proctor as the best type
of American neighborhood, he complimented the crowd on “comfortable
conditions” under which they lived and worked and contrasted these
with conditions of those who labored and lived in urban areas. He again
praised Redfield for creating the ideal relationship between employer
and employee. In addition, he mentioned the work being done to pro-
mote foreign trade and the opening of new markets.^®

When he had concluded his speech, the crowd threw up three cheers
and the band struck up “Hail to the Chief’ as a shower of rockets once
again filled the night sky. Around 10:15 p.m., accompanied by Redfield,
President Harrison boarded his train for Rutland where his cars were
attached to the regular express train which reached New York City
early the following morning. From there, Proctor went on to Wash-
ington while Harrison proceeded to the summer White House at Cape
May. He had left there on August 18^^. During his eleven-day excursion
President Harrison had delivered thirty-seven speeches. This left little
wonder as to why the President had been fatigued toward the end of his
trip.^^

^Uhid.

Ibid.

1

William McKinley, August 1897

I Six years later residents of Proc-
> tor and Rutland would once again
I have the pleasure of a presidential
S visit. President William McKin-
g ley had been staying at the Hotel
g Champlain at Bluff Point and on
I August 12th, 1897, his party of six-
teen went by private yacht to Bur-
lington. There McKinley was met
by Senator Redfield Proctor and
P. W. Clement who had a special
train waiting to bring the party to
Proctor.^® Traveling with the Pres-
ident were Vice President Garret
Hobart and his wife and Secretary
of War Russell Alger and his wife.
Mr. Depew’s private car, 100, and
the Wagner car, Idler, made up
the train drawn by the locomotive, Charles Clement}^

Former Governor Urban A. Woodbury joined the party along with
Mrs. Clement. McKinley got a “hearty send-off’ in the Queen City. As
the special made its way south individuals and small groups patiently
waited for the passing train in the hopes of getting a glimpse of the
President. Prior to its arrival in Proctor there were stops in Middlebury
where 200 cheered McKinley and in Brandon. As the train approached
the station in Proctor every window in the shops was full of faces hoping
to catch a glimpse of the event while “most of the Town waited at the
depot.”^° Carriages were ready to take the President to Senator Proc-
tor’s home. Vice President Hobart and his wife continued on to Rutland
where they were the guests of P. W. Clement for dinner.^^

That evening the residents of Proctor and an additional number esti-
mated at 400 turned out for the activities planned at Senator Proctor’s
house. His house and the shrubbery surrounding it were decorated with

Rutland Weekly Herald, “McKinley’s Visit”, 19 August, 1897, p.3.
Rutland Daily Herald, “The President’s Itinerary”, 11 August, 1897, p.3.
Rutland Weekly Herald, “McKinley’s Visit”, 19 August, 1897, p.3.

Ibid.

red, white, and blue lanterns. The flag pole was encompassed by a circle
of lights. Trout taken from Beaver Pond swam in a temporary fountain
in the middle of the lawn. A speaker’s stand, decorated with streamers
was at the front of the house and a wheel set with colored lights played
against the house. In describing the scene di Herald reporter said: “The
American flag attached to a pole surmounted by a circle of electric lights
posed in patriotic attitude in the still night air and every arch, cornice
and line of the house was so accentuated by electricity that the moon
overhead seemed to shed a dim apology for living.” To add to the festive
occasion the Proctor Band was on hand to play operatic and patriotic
selections.

c;-_^

Redfield Proctor House decorated for visit of President McKinley.

Rutland Weekly Herald, “McKinley’s Visit”, 19 August, 1897, p.3.
Otto T. Johnson, p.422.

Rutland Weekly Herald, “McKinley’s Visit”, 19 August, 1897, p.3.

9

PROCTOR FREE LIBRARY

Senator Proctor introduced the President whose brief comments re-
ferred to his previous visit five years earlier, his satisfaction in seeing
so many children at the reception, and the virtues of family life. Three
cheers rose up from the crowd at the conclusion of his remarks.

Then Senator Proctor introduced General Alger who stated he was
pleased to be in Vermont for many reasons, one of which was his wife
was a native and another because he had served with the Vermont
Calvary during the Civil War. He remarked that Vermont troops were
among the best in the army. In addition, he told the crowd of the respect
that Senator Proctor had earned on the national level. When he fin-
ished, he too received the cheers of the assemblage. He then introduced
the President’s wife and ex-Governor Ormsbee who, in turn, introduced
Mrs. Alger to the crowd.

Present that evening were General Russell Hastings of Ohio who had
served in McKinley’s regiment and prominent locals including: George
T. Chaffee, J. N. Woodfin, G. R. Bottum, Dr. C. S. Caverly, and W. R.
Page. That evening the President and Mrs. McKinley stayed at Senator
Proctor’s home while General Alger and his wife were guests of Fletcher
Proctor.

On the morning of the 13th of August it was off to Rutland. Plans had
originally called for the party to go by carriage but in the interest of sav-
ing time, the party took a train. The Rutland reception committee was
comprised of Chairman Gen. Levi G. Kingsley, Alderman N. S. Stearns,
J. W. Cramton, G. T. Chaffee, John N. Woodfin, G. E. Royce, and B. F.
Pollard. This group had met with the city council and the mayor and
had drawn up a list of streets that the Presidential route would take.
Residents on this route were advised to decorate their homes.

McKinley was particularly popular in a state that was heavily Re-
publican but the Herald commented that “there is a personal leaning
toward Mr. McKinley in this state which is altogether exceptional.” He
noted that many Vermont Democrats had voted for McKinley rather

^^Ibid.

Ibid.

Rutland Daily Herald, “President McKinley’s Visit”, 12 August, 1897, p.4.

10

than Bryan and that “all men are McKinley men today.”^®

The President’s train stopped at the West Street crossing where car-
riages were waiting to take them on the selected route. The President
and the mayor were in the first carriage; General Kingsley, ex-Gov-
ernor Woodbury, and Senator Proctor in the second; Cramton, C. M.
Wilds of Middlebury and Pollard in the third; Chaffee and guests in the
fourth; and H. O. Carpenter, George R. Bottum, Henry F. Field, and H.
A. Sawyer in the fifth.

The original route was abbreviated, probably due to time constraints.
The group went from West St. up to Washington St., then to Pleasant
St. and on to Madison. From Madison the group proceeded to Main St.,
down Crescent St. to Grove St. and back to West St. to Wales St. and
then down Center St. to the depot.^^

A large crowd awaited the President at the station. He appeared on
the platform but did not speak. Vice President Hobart, Senator Proctor,
and General Alger each made a few remarks. Many got to shake the
President’s hand and the crowd got to see Mrs. McKinley who also was
on the platform. Then the party entered the train bound for Chester
where McKinley had been invited to review the annual muster of the
militia at Camp Governor Grout.^^

Rutland Daily Herald, “The President and Vermont”, 13 August, 1897, p.4.
Rutland Daily Herald, “McKinley in Rutland”, 14 August, 1897, p.4.

31 Ibid.

^Uhid.

11

Theodore Roosevelt, September, 1902

Five years later handbills ap-
peared around Proctor announc-
ing the arrival of yet another Pres-
ident. “President Roosevelt will
arrive at Proctor at 11:50 a.m.,
and remain until 12:20 p.m. He
will speak to the people from the
piazza of Senator Proctor’s house.
The Proctor Band will give a con-
cert on the lawn before the arrival
of the presidential party. A special
train for Rutland will leave Proc-
tor at 12:30, immediately after the
departure of the President.”^^
Roosevelt visited Proctor and
Rutland on Labor Day, September
1st, 1902. Since it was a holiday
the events drew large crowds despite the hot day. Roosevelt’s itinerary
that day began in Burlington and ended in Northfield, Massachusetts.
There were planned stops at Vergennes, Middlebury, Brandon, Proctor,
Rutland, Ludlow, Bellows Falls, Chester, and Brattleboro.^^

That morning Roosevelt left Shelburne Farms where he had been the
guest of Dr. and Mrs. W. S. Webb and went to Burlington where he was
driven about the city. Arriving at the train station he was joined by
several newspaper reporters and his party. The group climbed aboard a
special train that consisted of Roosevelt’s private coach, the Mayflower,
a dining car, baggage car, working coach, and two Pullman sleepers for
the reporters. Several secret service officers were on board as well as a
detective, a half dozen porters, and messengers.

Roosevelt’s first stop was at Vergennes where he gave a short speech
and then it was on to Middlebury. There he delivered a fifteen minute
talk to a crowd of 1,000.^®

Gale, p.238.

Rutland Daily Herald, “Roosevelt-Concludes His Tour of Vermont”,
2 September, 1902, p.l.

^Uhid.

^Mhid.

12

Even though Roosevelt would be spending a short time at Proctor the
town had taken great pains to make a good impression. A New York
Commercial reporter observed that the end of the covered bridge the
President would see had been given a white wash for the visit. The rail-
way station had been painted for the first time since its roof had been
raised. A hemlock hedge literally appeared overnight to block an ugly
fence along the short parade route. The company store, library, and
other buildings were covered with the national colors.

The railway station on the left and the company store in the right rear
were only part of the community that was decorated.

Senator Proctor’s house was once again festooned in the national col-
ors. On top of the canopy was a plaster cast of an American Eagle and
niches of the house were decorated with the national emblem. The flag
pole once again did not escape the decorator’s hand.^®

A few days prior to his visit posters had been distributed around the
town requesting children to meet at their schools and to bring golden
rod with them. That morning children formed in lines and marched to
Senator Proctor’s.

3^ Gale, p.238.

33 Johnson, p.424.

13

PROCTOR FREE LIBRARY

By the time the train arrived there was a crowd estimated at 2,500
awaiting the President. The Proctor Band, positioned on the Senator’s
balcony also was ready for Teddy.^^

Redfield Proctor house decorated for the visit of
President Teddy Roosevelt.

Senator Proctor and the Presidential party and other honored guests
climbed onto the temporary platform erected in front of his house. Proc-
tor, perhaps sensing his own mortality, introduced the President to the
crowd: “Neighbors and Friends, for the third time the President of the
United States honors us with his presence and will speak from this
platform. I do not expect to have the honor and pleasure of introducing
another President, but I do expect to have the pleasure of introducing
this man again when he serves his second term.”^®

^^Ibid.

Ibid. Proctor would die in 1908.

14

PROCTOR FREE LIBRARY

President Teddy Roosevelt speaking in Proctor in 1902.

Roosevelt indicated how pleased he was to be at the “home of my old
and valued friend”. He extolled the benefits of living in small towns and
cities where each man has the opportunity to keep “in close touch with
his government.” Then he noted that “while the town government can
do something for him, he can do more for it...”^^ He also spoke of the
necessity of enacting good laws and the necessity of good administra-
tion of those laws while emphasizing the duties that needed to be per-
formed at local, state, national, and international levels. His remarks
also touched on the Monroe Doctrine and what would become known
as the Corollary to that doctrine. He asserted that the doctrine was not
one of aggression, rather one of peace and of defense that needed to be
backed up by a first class na\’y.'^^

True to his “speaking softly but carrying a big stick” philosophy, Roos-
evelt concluded that “our attitude toward other powers must be one of

^^Ihid. p.425.

Rutland Daily Herald, “Roosevelt-Concludes His Tour of Vermont”,

2 September, 1902, p.l.

15

RUTLAND IN RETRO.SPFCT

dignity, courtesy, and respect, which we intend that they shall show
us in return. We must be willing to give them the regard that we exact
from them. We must do no wrong and we must submit to no wrong do-
ing from them, but when we take a position let us remember that our
holding it depends upon ourselves.

PROCTOR FREE LIBRARY

Having received the applause of the crowd, he was immediately driv-
en to the station where he boarded his train for Rutland. The Town of
Proctor, in the sixteenth year of its founding, had received yet another
President.

Many residents of Proctor followed Roosevelt on a special train that
left the town ten minutes after the President’s departure. Waiting for
the President in Rutland was a massive crowd, due in large part to the
Labor Day holiday.

A crowd estimated to he 8, 000 listened to President Teddy Roosevelt
address them in Depot Park in 1902.

The business section of the city was decorated in red, white, and blue
and the bandstand was draped with American flags. Roberts Post of the
Grand Army of the Republic occupied a place of honor in the park while
Company A of the Vermont National Guard guarded the President’s
path from the depot platform to the bandstand.

^^Ibid.

17

RUTLAND HISTORICAL SOCIETY

Mayor David L. Temple and Carl B. Hinsman, president of the board
of aldermen, escorted the President. Gen. Edward H. Ripley had the
distinct honor of introducing Roosevelt.

President Teddy Roosevelt captivated his Rutland audience in
September 1902 with his emphasis on the dignity of labor and
the duties of citizenship.

18

RUTLAND HISTORICAL SOCIETY

It was reported that during the twenty-five minute stop Roosevelt
spent twenty-two minutes giving a speech. A Herald reporter wrote
that “No president of the United States was ever given a greater recep-
tion in Rutland than President Roosevelt was yesterday” and that he
“completely captivated the crowd with a straightforward and forceful
speech on the dignity of labor and the duties of American citizenship.”
He averred that each had to puli his own weight and it was not the job
the man held but the spirit under which he took it that counted.^^

He concluded his remarks by admonishing the crowd to “never forget
that the fundamental truth in American citizenship is that each man is
entitled in the last resort to be judged solely on his worth as a man.”'^
Gen. Ripley promptly came forward and called for three cheers. The
President then proceeded to the train where he received more cheers as
the train rolled out of the station.

Rutland Daily Herald, “Rutland’s Welcome”, 2 September, 1902, p.2.
^Uhid. p.l.

Ibid. p.2.

19

Redfield Proctor offered a decorative Proctor welcome
to the visiting presidents of his era.

PROCTOR FREE LIBRARY